Celtic Rock Festival Returns This Weekend

Saturday September 10th marks the arrival of the Celtic Rock Festival to Providence. Previously held at the Newport Yachting Center, it’s the first time the popular festival is being held in the capital city. This year’s line-up is a familiar one to festival veterans - all four musical acts have performed at the festival previously.

Eileen Ivers

Headliner Eileen Ivers is well known in the Irish/Celtic music world. Once called “the Jimi Hendrix of the violin" by the New York Times, Ivers returns to the Festival after a powerful performance in 2013. Indeed, her innate talent, innovative stylings, and raw power on stage reinforce the Times assessment. She’s perhaps the most accomplished Irish fiddle player in the world today and one of several leading artists who have re-defined the Celtic genre in recent years.

Born in New York City to Irish immigrant parents, she was a child prodigy, and has won numerous awards. She’s a nine time All Ireland Fiddle Champion, has starred in Riverdance, and was a founding member of Cherish the Ladies.

GoLocal spoke to Ivers last week as she prepared for the Providence show. Reflecting on the Hendrix comparison, she admits, “It blew me away. He’s one of my musical heroes and was so in touch with his instrument.” In the past, Ivers has used effects like the looped wah pedal to approximate a sound similar to Hendrix's guitar. To see what we mean, check out her take on the Hendrix version of the Star Spangled Banner here.

Ivers has performed all over the world. She’s learned that “when the music is honest and real, people embrace it; the music we’re playing, it translates well.” The Providence Festival is billed as a family event and Ivers noted that she’s seen “many young people at recent shows.”

Beyond the Bog Road

Ivers newest release Beyond the Bog Roadtakes the Irish/Celtic influences even further, blending instruments and musical styles to create an exceptional acoustic roots album. The release was “a labor of love” for Ivers; the songs reflect the Irish experience in America.

According to Ivers, the album integrates music from a number of musical traditions – “African, Cajun, Appalachian, and French Canadian. It’s the story about how the Irish integrated into America, told from an American point of view.”

Additional acts at this year’s festival include Vancouver’s The Town Pants, proud purveyors of “West Coast Celtic,” and Tartan Terrors, who blend traditional Celtic sounds, Rock and Roll, and a dose of humor. They’re guaranteed to keep you on your toes. Look for RI’s own Pendragon opening at 2:30PM and special performances from the Kelly School of Irish Dance.

September 3

KISS will be performing in Worcester as part of their "Freedom to Rock Tour."

Kiss was formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and original band manager Lew Linet.

Since that time, KISS as been awarded 30 gold albums, most of any American band, while selling over 40 million albums in the United States, 25 million of them have been certified by the RIAA and their worldwide sales exceed 100 million.

The band is best know for the song "Rock and Roll All Nite," released in 1975 on the Dressed to Kill album.

September 3

Kanye West at TD Garden

Boston, MA

Kanye West brings his act to Boston's TD Garden on September 3.

Kanye West is one of the most acclaimed musicians of the 21st century and is already one of the best selling artists of all-time, having sold over 32 million albums and 100 million digital downloads all over the world.

He has 21 Grammy Awards and has had three albums ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.

West most recent album was released in 2016 and is titled “The Life of Pablo."

September 14 & 15

Adele at TD Garden

Boston, MA

For two nights, Adele will play Boston's TD Garden in mid-September.

Adele released her debut album, 19, in 2008 and it is certified seven times platinum in the UK and double platinum in the US. The next year, 2009, she won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

She is the firs woman in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to have three simultaneous top 10 singles as a lead artist and the first female artist to simultaneously to have two albums in the top five of the Billboard 200 and two singles in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100.

Her second studio album, 21, is the longest running number one album by a female solo artist in the history of the UK and US album Charts.

Adele released here third album, 25, in 2015 featuring the song "Hello." The song sold over a million digital copies in only one week.

September 17

Jeffrey Osborne at Foxwoods

Mashantucket, Ct

Providence, Rhode Island's own Jeffrey Osborne will perform at Foxwoods in mid September.

He started his music career with a band called Love Men Ltd, who later became known as L.T.D. Osborne actually started as a drummer and shared lead vocals as the band recorded hit singles like "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again, "Concentrate on You" and "Love Ballad."

Osborne left LTD in 1980 to start his solo career which included five gold and platinum albums, including his 1982 hit "On the Wings of Love."

Osborne is a 4 time Grammy Award winner, his last award coming in 2001 for best traditional R&B Performance.

September 17

Maroon 5 at DCU Center

Worcester, MA

Better get those moves like Jagger out becausue Maroon 5 is coming to Worcester.

Formed in Los Angeles, California, Maroon 5, led by Adam Levine, has sold over 20 million albums and 70 million singles all over the world following the release of the release of their fifth studio album in 2014.

The band was originally called Kara's Flowers when they formed in 1994 but changed their name to Maroon 5 in 2001.

They released their first album as Maroon 5 in 2002 and it featured the song "Harder to Breathe" which debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 chart.

Maroon 5 is known for songs such as "Harder to Breathe,"Makes me Wonder" and "Moves Like Jagger" which was released in 2011 and featured Christina Aguilera.

September 28

Seven-time Grammy Award winner Carrie Underwood will be performing at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Wednesday, September 28 as part of her Storyteller Tour - Stories in the Round.

After winning American Idol in 2005, Carrie Underwood has become a multi-format, multimedia star in both music, television and film. Underwood has won 7 Grammy Wards, racked up almost 100 major honors and has sold 58 million records worldwide.

She has recorded 23 #1 singles, 13 of which she co-wrote and has had her catalog of songs streamed over 1.5 billion times worldwide.

November 19

Trans-Siberian Orchestra at DCU Center

Worcester, MA

Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) was founded in 1996 by producer Paul O'Neil and have been ranked by Billboard Magazine and Pollstar as one of the top ten ticket-selling bands in the first decade of the new millennium.

TSO gained popularity when they began touring in 1999 after completing their second album.

Since then, the group has released a numb of rock operas such as Christmas Eve and Other Stories, The Christmas Attic, Beethoven's Last Night, The Lost Christmas Eve, their two-discNight Castle and Letters From the Labyrinth.

November 19

The Monkees at Twin River

Lincoln, RI

The legendary Monkees will perform at Twin River for their 50th anniversary tour in November.

In their career, the Monkees have sold more than 75 million records worldwide and had international hits, including "Last Train to Clarksville," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "Daydream Believer," and "I'm a Believer."

The Monkees outsold The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined in 1967.

November 25

Five Finger Death Punch is an American heavy metal band from Las Vegas who was formed in 2005. Their band name comes from a fictional martial arts move in the 2003 movie Kill Bill.

The band's second album War is the Answer, sold 500,000 copies in the United States upon its release in 2009, while their third album American Capitalist, achieved Gold status upon its release in 2011.